#174121  by AaronW
 
I'm looking into a new amp setup. The Amp has caught my eye. Love that it has a headphone out on it already for when the kids are sleeping. But wondering how the Sarno Tube Preamp would be into the Milkman Amp? Does anyone own both and has tried them together?

Thanks in advance!
 #174123  by Darkstar860
 
I noticed the Milkman was too dark as well. SMS is the bomb, love it. I wouldnt buy the Milkman either. SMS is one of the best pieces of gear ive used/owned. My current setup is the best setup ive had imho. SMS CTP>ART SLA-1>vertical 2x12 w e120's. Simple and very very effective ;-)

Ive been just plugging my Bean directly in to practice on my own and its incredible the tone, love it ! :-) Add my pedal board and watch out ! Good stuff. Really good stuff.
AaronW liked this
 #174127  by Cumtax
 
Sarno is a piece of cake and helped this community by providing evidence and facts about Jerry's tone. He's a cornerstone for everyone embracing this tone quest and provides one of the best products around at a reasonable price - yea 700$ is not a joke but it's a rugged handmade thing done with love and an ungodly amount of research I bet. By buying SMS you are supporting all of this. I had an Earth Drive shipped to the other side of the world and it came with a small issue.

Guys at Sarno responded to my support-requesting email in a matter of minutes and provided me with lots of detailed info, pictures and instructions to solve the issue by myself. The pedal was fixed and it's one of my favourites.

Milkman The Amp is indeed a neat and convenient package but I'd suggest trying it first. It doesn't handle distortion very well, has no mid-control, and sounds ugly when pushed to breakup IMHO. It doesn't help the fact that lots of people around here (and elsewhere) had terrible experiences dealing with Mr Milkman, and that alone would stop me from buying from him together. YMMV
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 #174129  by Darkstar860
 
WIth the Milkman i couldnt get any snap and as just mentioned above, it didnt take my OD pedals very well. Wasnt lively to my ears. I didnt have to deal with support with the Milkman i tried out so i cant comment on that.

But i can comment that ive always had my emails returned that i sent to SMS. So once again the SMS scores points. Also within as someone else mentioned, minutes my emails were returned. Ive had my SMS for roughly a year or so and i have had ZERO issues with it what so ever. I toured with two 60's Twin Reverbs for about 20 years and every 6 months something was up with them, never a big fix, but it happened. The SMS hasnt needed any help.
AaronW liked this
 #174130  by Slewfoot2000
 
I have both a Sarno SMS Classic and a Milkman Amp. I consider them two very different products.

The Sarno really is for that classic Fendery pre-amp section while playing with a powerful power amp in a room.

The Milkman I use exclusively as a headphone amp at night when the family is sleeping. It's great for that.

Haven't used the two together, but agree that the Milkman can be a bit dark and is hard to dial in when played as a pedal connected to other things.

Hope that helps.
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 #174138  by Darkstar860
 
AaronW wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 12:11 pm Thanks for all of the replies everyone!

What power amps (besides McIntosh) is everyone using?
Im really happy with the ART SLA-1 power amp im using. 100watts per channel. I have channel 1 hooked up to the top speaker and channel 2 going into bottom speaker in my cab. I have the sound guys mic my bottom speaker, so i can adjust my stage volume if needed adjusting the top speaker without it effecting the what the sound guys are trying to do.

The power amp is small and light weight but its reliable and sounds great with the SMS. When i emailed SMS and asked them which power amp they would recommend, this is the model and brand they mentioned in the email they sent me back. So i went with what they suggested and i have zero regrets.

Image

I have a Furman in my rack case as well. I like the head case i found for mine. It looks like a standard guitar head from a distance.

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Theres my full setup with my 2 main guitars at the moment and my board.
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 #174139  by lbpesq
 
I’m using an Alembic F-2B preamp instead of the Sarno unit. I’m running it into a Carvin DCM200L into dual 1x12s loaded with JBL K120s. LOVE the Carvin … 1 rack unit, 4 lbs.!

Bill, tgo
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 #174202  by BoogieMK2
 
I got crazy good deals locally on a Sarno Revelation preamp and Art SLA-2 amp. I don’t need that much power and roll back the gain on the amp to keep from blowing my speaker! Would have gotten the SLA-1 if I was getting a new one.

The SLA-2 sounds great. A little fan noise which does not matter live. There is no amp clipping, I rely on pedals with this rig. I considered an ISP Stealth Pro for weight savings as the SLA-2 is 20 lbs! May think about that if I find a good deal on a used one.

You might consider Quilter. I have Superblock US, which sounds great on its own. You can use your SMS Classic into the front or into the FX return. If you go into the front, Pat recommended the “57” voice with a slight treble cut to get a flat response. You get the benefit of the SB limiter control using the input and can drive the SB preamp and power amp to clipping.

If you go into the FX return, which is after the tone stack, use a dummy 1/4” connector in the FX out jack. This will raise the FX return impedance and increase gain from the SMS. With only 25 watts, you can get amp clipping, which is on the lighter side. Their bigger amps work in a similar fashion if you need more power.

Have to give a shout out to Brad Sarno. He remotely troubleshot my used Rev and sent me the parts. Answered too many questions. From the email exchange about the Rev FX output, he added a new boost circuit, only cost me shipping. I would listen to any recommendations he has to offer.
 #174203  by lbpesq
 
I also have the Superblock US. AMAZING little amp. I originally bought it for a backup and portable grab ‘n go rig, but I find myself using it more and more as my first choice. Thanks for the tip on using it as a power amp with another pre. What I’ve been trying to figure out (unsuccessfully) is if there is a way to use it as a preamp into a more powerful power amp? I’d love to run it into my Carvin Mach 100 Stereo power amp pedal, then into a couple of 1x12 cabs loaded with K120s.

Bill, tgo
 #174204  by Jon S.
 
I hereby second Bill's sagacious lauding of the Carvin DCM200L and the Quilter SuperBlock US, both of which I, too, own and love.

P.S. Are you visiting Ventura or not?! :?: